Israeli forces open fire at farmers in southern Gaza Strip

Dec. 30, 2016 6:46 P.M. (Updated: Dec. 30, 2016 6:46 P.M.)

GAZA (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces Friday opened live fire at Palestinian farmers east of Khan Yunis in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Witnesses told Ma’an that a number of Israeli soldiers stationed behind the border fence between the small Palestinian territory and Israel exited their vehicles and began shooting at Palestinian farmers in the town of Khuzaa.

No injuries were reported.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports on the incident.

Palestinians who work near the “buffer zone” -- the unilaterally declared area between the Palestinian enclave and Israel’s separation barrier -- often come under fire from military forces, as the Israeli military has not made clear the precise area of the designated zone.

The Israeli army regularly open fires on Palestinian fishermen and farmers along the border areas, despite a ceasefire agreement that ended the 2014 war.

The practice has in effect destroyed much of the agricultural and fishing sectors of the blockaded coastal enclave.